File cabinet drawer guide



July 31, 1951 v. A. SMITH FILE CABINET DRAWER GUIDE Filed May 5. 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR,

VERNON A. SMITH July 31, 1951 v. A. SMITH FILE CABINET DRAWER GUIDE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 5. 1946 f LII VERNON A. SMITH Patented July 31, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Frm: CABINET DRAWER GUIDE Vernon A.A Smith, Winchester, Ky.

Application May 3, 1946, Serial No. 666,944.

1 Claim. (Cl.v3-12-338) (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

The invention to be hereinafter described re.- lates to file cabinet drawers and particularly to slides therefor.

The universal use of ling cabinets of an extremely wide range of purpose and construction and in a considerable variety of materials has resulted in a corresponding development in the number and type of operational devices associated with them. Probably the type of cabinet in most general use is that employing horizontally sliding drawers and made either of wood or metal. It is common practice in such cabinets to have guide rails of some type, :dxed on the inner side walls of the cabinet for each drawer, slides movable in such guide rails, movable connections between the drawers and slides and devices for limiting the movement of the drawer relative to the slide and of the slide relative to the cabinet. In most instances all of these various connections and limit stops have various weak points frequently out of order and requiring repair. They are often relatively complicated and easily put out of operative condition. Many are fragile and easily broken or damaged. A large proportion are inaccurate and unreliable in operation, failing to work at critical times.

The main objects of the present invention are to eliminate or greatly minimize the above and other objections and disadvantages and provide a very simple, compact, eiiicient, and durable sliding drawer and associated parts, at all times and under all conditions thoroughly reliable in operation, easily and quickly produced in quantity from readily obtainable materials particularly wood and one in which the drawer and some of the associated parts may be quickly and easily completely removed and as easily and quickly reassembled.

In order to more clearly disclose the construction, operation and use of the invention, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this application.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a cross section through one pair of guide rails with a fragment of the supporting cabinet side wall;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of a cabinet case, partly broken away, showing the near slide in position in the guides, fully retracted and the supporting wall of the drawer being also broken away, the drawer rib location being dotted in;

amended April 30, 1928.; 370A G. '757)' Figure 3 is a like view of the same guide, slide and rib parts, but from the opposite direction, with the parts fullyv extended, the rib 6 being shown in full, bothy drawer sides broken away and the guides broken off at the rear end of the case;

Figure e is a cross section on line 4-41 of Figure 2; and p Figure 5 is a cross section on line 5-5 of Figure 2. Figure 6. is an exploded view of the parts of the guide detached from drawer and case.

For simplicity in illustrating the invention a single wooden drawer II and enclosing box-like cabinet case I2 as housing to receive the same have been shown, as the invention is equally applicable whether to one drawer in a housing or five or six drawers in the same housing.

On the left and right 'walls-f I3 of the case I2 there are mounted in any well known manner pairs ofvertically spaced guide rails I. They may be either U-shaped or L-shaped in cross section, those shown being U-shaped, with their channels I5 opposed. Preferably, they extend the full depth or front-to-back inside dimension of the case. Freely slidable in each pair of the guide rails there is a slide 2, having top and bottom ribs Iii-I1 engaged in respective guides, a side channel 5 being formed on its inner side throughout its length; and it is provided with a longitudinal slot 3 extending from near the rear end of the rail forwardly for nearly two-thirds "of the length of the slide, or more or less. The upper rib vIl of each slide is notched or cut away lengthwise as at 4. This notch is above and of substantially the length of slot 3. It stops short of the rear end of the slide so as to leave stop lug I0 at the rear end just beyond the rear end of slot 3. The forward end of notch 4, when the parts are fully extended. falls substantially in alignment with the rear end of the drawer.

Slides 2 have the channels 5 at their inner sides, each channel freely, slidably and snugly receiving a rib B rigidly secured to the respective side wall of the respective drawer. The rear end of each rib 6 is provided with a lateral limit pin 'I which,- in assembled relation, rides freely back and forth in slot 3. The pin 1 may be permanently fixed on the rib 6 and drawer since it does not require removal in order to separate the parts after the drawer is taken out. With the parts in` the relative positions shown in Figure 2 and drawer closed, limit pin Tis at therear end of slot 3. As the drawer is pulled open rib 6 slides freely along channel 5 until the pin 'I engages the forward end of slot 3. At that point pin 1 picks up slide 2 and carries that forward with the drawer. Slide 2 is free to continue with the drawer in its opening travel for the full length of notch 4 until the removable vertical dowel pin B, projecting through a bore 9 in the top of the upper guide l andV into the notch 4, is engaged by lug ment, before pin 8 is engaged by the rib I6.'

That, it is will be noticed, will be ample to completely withdraw slide 2 from its fully extended position of Figure 3. A nd, of course, in this retracting movement, pin Tf returns to its first mentioned position.

The approximate one-third projection of the slides 2 beyond the housing with corresponding length of seating of rib E therein, at both sides of the drawer, gives very adequate support for the drawer when completely open and fully loaded.

For repairs, renewals or any other reason desired the whole assembly may be quickly and easily taken apart. It is only necessary to partly open the drawer, reach back and lift out the dowel pins 8 and then draw out the drawer. Along with it will come the slides 2 which may be easily lifted on of the ribs 6. To reassemble it is only necessary to reverse this procedure, being sure that lugs l have passed rearwardly beyond the bores 9 before the pins 8 are inserted. Neither drawer nor slides can get out of alignment horizontally or vertically, before the drawer is disconnected froml the case.

While the invention has been described with particular reference to a wood construction, it is equally applicable to a sheet metal construction. It is only necessary to form or shape the parts in well known manner to correspond with those described. Where metal construction is used antifriction bearings may be put in at proper points to provide easy free sliding. Preferably, though not necessarily, these could be ball bearings so seated as to project justfar enough to give the desired antifriction action.

The construction, arrangement and disposition of the various parts may be changed within the scope of the appended claim, without departing from the field of the invention and it is meant to include all such changes within this application wherein only one preferred form has been illustrated purely by way of example and with no thought or intent to, in any degree, limit the invention thereby.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

In the combination comprising a case and a drawer slidable through the front of the case and having sides of suiciently less height than the drawer-receivingr space over the drawer side to afford space for access of the hand, separate vertically spaced `parallel guides fixed on the side of the case and having opposed longitudinal channels, a slide between said guides having rib parts at ton and bottom itted in respective said channels and having a longitudinal channel throughout its length and open on its ends in its side next the drawer, a rail rectangular in cross section xed on the drawer slidable in the last named channel, slots being formed in certain of the members named and stops on others to limit sliding movement of the drawer relative to the slide, and to limit sliding movement of the slide relative to the case; characterized by an interruption of the top rib of the slide in its rear part to form a notch extending over the major rear part of the slide stopping short near the rear end of the slide, a vertical pin removably engaged through the upper guide and extended into said notch intermediately of the length of the guide and further extended above the guide and above the side of the drawer for manipulation in said space by a hand inserted from the front of the case when the drawer is partly open, said slide having a longitudinal slot along its major part intermediately of the height of the slide midway of said channel in the slide and stopping short near the rear end of the slide, and a permanent rear lateral stop xed on the rear part of said rail engaged slidably in said slot to limit movement of the drawer on the slide.

VERNON A. SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain 1901 Number Number 

